Show Biography UI of Brigham Young and i History of the Mormon Church M. M R R. We Werner Weiner ner in n Ladies idies Home Hom Jour Journal l. l Continued fr froth from m Jast aast week j S When ha lia began egan translate g golden plat plates s again ie vas s J by y Oliver Olivor Cowdery t Cowdery ha J b been bero n a a school master and a a. a hl black black- ck- ck Sl li and nd d in in hp the course of his hs travels tin hii New York state he hemet met Joserh Joseph S Smiths Smith's 1 ith's th's father who told him of the g gold l l bible visited Smith at at Harmony Pennsylvania and two days aft after l' l his arrival Joseph Jos 1 eph epIl and his new amanuensis be began I Ito to translate e. e How However ver differences of opinion ares arose Ther There was one for foi example about John the t e J Another r difference of opinion ar aros concerning baptism for br or ortho the tho remIs remI's 4 sion slon of sins Smith and Cowder went Into the woods t to insure of th Lord and anda a messenger ap appeared ear from he heaven l and aud told Joseph z tc baptize Oliver and Oliver to baptise Joseph He also commanded commande then them to lay hands handson on each othur and ordain each other Into the priesthood The The messenger r soon toon proved to be no other than John lI lIt the t Baptist who saco cO h. h h 3 knew nrc about baptism m ha i any any on ond one else e s had been been sent fro r n heaven to enlighten enlighten en en- en lighten them on elC subject H H I said that he under tinder tip the liou u J of Peter Jamos arl airl mr Join Jojn J vic wic 10 held the keys of the tae Pres Priesthood hood of dec which priesthood the highest of ot all wo woM be conferred rr Il OP Ot Smith and y in due time t i. i When they came up out of the w water 1 er after baptism they felt spiritual im- im Im im- provement We Va w were vare ro wrote Joseph Sm ith with the Holy Gh sr and rejoiced in the God o of our s sal sal- l. l They Tb-ey In be began n nto to prophesy many things to each ach other but what these were they did not say t I Brothers Converted S Soon Spon afterward Smith and Cowdery Cowdery Cow Cow- dery dory began to make converts ony but only among members of the Smith family Josephs Joseph's olde brother Hyrum Hyrum Hy fly rum brother rum and his younger Sam Samuel el Harrison Smith visited d him and after special revel revelation from the for their benefit benefit became becan e convinced con coti- b others brothers divine in inspiration inspiration in- in vinced of their v and and there thereafter f r b became liis en tic follo followers vers hi In June Junc of of f 1829 9 Smith and C Jw- Jw Jwj y j dery ry went to Fayette S Seneca c C rih 1 t ty New York where they by Ieter Peter Whitmer ana and Ills so sois s s. I to board with them tree free of Of charge One of ot the Whitmer r boys also of offered to help them In UH their ir writing Gradually the divine translation was I fin finished shed Tho hid actual l W writing a av- av pears to have ave taken a a en months from Crom December 1827 to April 12 F February 1828 from April 1828 t to J June ne 14 1328 14 t l' m and from ro ll llA A 1829 1829 to June Junc 11 Taking the fi first st edition of r pages s as as a guide this hi allows a ws w's about bom two three pages each day clay In or I. I order ider to insure privacy to pro pro- which served as asa asa i ia ce dings a blanket I a portiere was 8 stretched a acro across the tan family faintly living room to to shelter the translator and the golden plates from the eyes of any who call while the work was In n might Sometimes Emma Smith pi progress ogress s sometimes lles Oliver Cowdery and sometImes some sometimes some some- times Christian Whitmer acted as as- scribe to Josephs dictation David Whitmer in an interview published In the Chi Clil Chicago ago Tribune ne orD cember 15 1885 g gave ve this description or ot orho ortho fl tho ho m mt method t of w work w rk After prayer Smith would sic sib sibon oh oli on one side of 30 a table and the tIle amanuensis In turn as they bec became tired on on the other Those present and not ot actively active engaged in the tile work seated themselves around the room and then en the work ork bC began an Atter At- At After Artor Af Ar- ter tor affixing the magical spectacles to his eyes Smith would take talc the plates and translate tho th characters 1 charac characters one at a time lime Th The graven g ave c would appear in succession to tho the seer I and directly un under er t the lf character when viewed through the glasso glasses would ouId be pc t the tranSI translation tion In iii English So Somo e times th thit be c a e word h Und d frequently 11 an entire sentence e. e In translating the tho characters Smith who was illiterate and but hut little versed iu in Biblical lore was compelled to sp spell n the wor words s out not knowing the the correct correct pronunciation tion and Mr l recalls tIme r f fact t that at that t ti ne' ne Smith did not noi ev even know that Jerus Jerusalem was a walled wailed city Cowdery however being be be ing lug a school teacher re rendered d red invaluable invaluable invaluable in in- valuable aid in ill pronouncing hard w words and giving their proper proper den f Joseph Smith once once said that tha he hec c could see see seethe the printed character characters which h b he translated into the Book Bool lof of Mormon lormon Just as well with his hi eyes leyes shut as with with his eyes open Whenever he was asked iI in what language language lan Jai guage the characters were engraved Joseph ah always ays Reformed Egyptian The Tin Three 5 At At last Joseph s Smith ith and Ilise his Ilis e earthly collaborators finished their translation they secured the copyright copyright copyright copy copy- right of the books in the name or of Jose Joseph h Smith Smith Jr author and proprietor proprietor proprietor pro pro- and made arrangements for printing five thousand copies for three thousand dollars The manuscript was guarded care care- tully fully So iSo that there might be no danger of loss by fire Oliver Cowdery Cowdery Cow Cow- i dery lery took only a few pages each I day lay to the printers printer's shop and oh ot these trips to the printer he lie was accompanied ac accompanied ac- ac e- e companied by a bodyguard Meanwhile the people of Palmyra almyra organized a mass meeting and pledged ed d themselves before it was printed not ot to buy the Book of or Mormon after af at- ter jt was published This caused the he printer to cease work until he henas was nas assured that he lie would receive I his money Daniel Henis wl who o r read read d r r ron on on h the time Book of Mormon testified that the penmanship of tile the manuscript mann mann- script was good good but that the thc grammar grammar gram gram- m mar r and spelling were hopelessly esslY in inaccurate in- in accurate and that punctuation and paragraphs were entirely nii sing Many lany Impartial non Mormons have wondered what became becam of Joseph Joseph Jos Jos- eph mph Smiths Smith's golden plates of the tho Book 0 of 01 Mormon l after lie haa baa translated them into English Josph Joseph Joseph Jos Jos- eph ph Smith always said that the same angel of God Goc vho who had given them lItem to him took them back again Toward the tIme end of their work J Joseph Ph Smith mith and his ass assistant tant translators trans trails 1 discovered a notation io l 01 on omi tl-b tl l I golden plates lates' lates that that they t to IJ Do JC shown to three trec witness wh who w would thereafter testify be before ore the le world that th they y had had semi seen r real ll gold gohol l plates It seemed to 10 Oliver Cowdery Cowdry Martin Harris and David they they had hade e earned l kd 11 ht r cg and and nd they requested request Smith to aSK asi asK I if if Ho Hp H. H Was ts willing tha that tile they should mould be lie tho the three witnesses Accordingly Ac Ac- l cordingly Joseph ep l re e e nil l a revelation in Jt June l. l 1 SJ lh that t if f i OLiver r Cowdery powdery Martin Martzi Harris Hirris and ahll David I Whitmer would remain faith faith- fill they her would see sec see ti th the e golden g plat plates the and nd and and the he Sword of of J. J Laban ban The se see sec second ond paragraph paragraph of this this' rev s significant And AmI it t is said God by your faith that you ou shaH shall shallI I obtain a vie view of or them eVen even by that I faith which was as had llad by the time prophets of ot ol old It is n a quest question on whether whet the cd in prayer when presently we ve be- be e- e voice from out the tIu time bright light what you now see and hear A few days l later ter- ter the tho four retired to the woods to seek Beck fulfillment lt or 01 revelation li They prayed d but but re received received received re- re no answer They prayed again separately and in rotation but received no answer Then Mari Martin Martin Mar Mar- tin Harris suggested i 1 t that int ho lie withdraw withdraw with with- draw for hi he felt that his profane presence was vas the o obstacle stacle Ho lIe with with- drew and the remaining three I prayed again and wrote Smith had not been ii minutes en engaged engaged ased as- as ed in prayer when presently we we beheld beheld be be- le- le held a light light above alove us us In the time air airs ol oX exceeding brightness and behold an angel stood us In In hi mI hands he lie held beld the plates which wo we had load been praying g for tho those e to t have havo havea a view of Ho Ire turned over the h Hm LOaves leaves s 's sone one b by one so so that we could o d 1 see 00 tIl them m e-m and and discern cern the time engravings distinctly They heard heardt a a. voice from out the out tl e bright light above us mis saying ing These platoOn plates plato On Last Page I BIOGRAPHY I IO AliI IY O OF I. I iU 1 II Y YOUNG G fJ I V r H antl and r I HISTORY OP OF MORMON CH CHURCH nCI I 31 Ij d I f Fi From m Page Page One 01 have b. b been revealed by the pd power er of t God The Theo The translation of them which you ou have seen is correct an and 1 l' command you to to bear record ot of what you rOll now see and hear I With the tho E Eyes e of or Faith I Joseph Smith then went t to seek seck Martin Harris whom he found at some distance fervently engaged in in prayer He asked Joseph to join him and after they had prayed together t they ey received U the e same vision vision vis IS vis- vis ISiO iO ion l and the same samo message as qs the we others had just received Mormons I have explained that because Martin Han HarrIs is lost part of tho the translation lation he was not forgiven without an e a ettra et c- c tra tia prayer According to his leis mother Joseph Smith returned from the woods very happy that he lie ha had Witnesses witnesses witnesses wit Wit- nesses besides himself to bear baar the burden before the world of or the authenticity authenticity authenticity au au- of oC the golden plates I Iero ero To be bo continued next t w week el |